Birthdays are A Peice of Cake

“This warm breezy July morning is the perfect weather for my birthday,” Cindy thought. “I’m sixteen today and so much wiser!” Cindy talked aloud while laughing and looking toward Grandmother Ella.
Ella continued to drive toward the suburbs after Cindy’s usual Friday night stay in the country.
“Gr’ma,” “Do you think I’ll make the cheerleader tryouts on Monday,” asked Cindy?
“Why not?” replied Ella with a question.
“I just don’t think I’m popular enough!”
“You are a very charming girl, Cindy.” Ella encouraged, “Not everyone has the gymnastic ability you have and just look in the mirror at that pretty smile!”
“I’ll just have to be the perfect hostess at the party today,” Cindy comments brushing her dark auburn hair from the side of her face and placing the overnight bag beside her on the seat of Gr’ma Ella’s town car.
“Did you put that biscuit in your bag for Trace,” asked Grandmother Ella?
“Yes, she will be searching for a treat as soon as we open the door.” “That moocher never misses a treat!”
“Cindy, Trace will be sure to get back at you for calling her a moocher.” “That is a very smart Dalmatian if I have to say so myself,” replies Ella.
Mr. Tanner looks out the window in the large family room hoping that it’s the Dutch Bakery with Cindy’s cake. A car pulls into the brick circle drive and around to the parking area to the side of the house. “It’s Gr’ma Ella and Cindy!” “Why don’t you call the bakery and see what’s the hold up,” Frank requests of June in his they are late again tone!
June has confidence in the crew at the bakery since she has ordered a cake from them anytime anyone has reason to celebrate. June replies, “I just spoke with the head baker, Frank”. “He says they’ll be over in less than an hour.”
“Right, June! I’ll believe it when I see it.” Frank looks at June with helplessness, “If only you hadn’t ordered such a monstrosity of a cake, they might be here by now.” Frank goes into the kitchen for more plastic plates to take to the patio.
Cindy’s parents have everything under control. The cake’s on the way. Gr’ma Ella shall intercept it during the party activity and bring it to the table unnoticed. The burgers and hot dogs lie neatly arranged neatly in plastic reseal containers beneath the streamers and party balloons. The chips and dip are alongside the punch bowl and the soda is on ice in a tub next to the table. Adorned with a tablecloth of firework displays, the table is host to a variety of teenage appetite quinchers.
A glistening sun reflects off the water in the kidney shaped pool next to the patio. A light summer breeze is swaying the streamers and balloons tied to the deck every couple of feet. A mild gust would not disturb the well-secured decorations. The planning of the party did not include arranging a sitter for Trace the Dalmatian. Therefore, she is present and accounted for.
Gr’ma Ella and Cindy open the door and shout, “Anyone home?”
They burst in with Cindy’s overnight bag and Trace is there to greet them.
“Where’s Mom and Dad, Trace”, Cindy asks? Patting Trace on the head and rubbing he black and white spots.
Trace’s nose is roaming every square inch of the overnight bag and she sneezes while giving a begging glance to Cindy. She sits and holds one paw up.
Cindy praises Trace with, “Good dog!” “Good dog!” Cindy opens the bag and pulls out the biscuit.
Trace sits and waits patiently while Cindy breaks the biscuit and feeds it to her in two bites.
“Excellent, Trace!” “You really are as smart as Gr’ma says you are and I won’t call you a moocher anymore,” cooed Cindy praising the tail wagging animal.
“Come here, Cindy”, Gr’ma Ella urges Cindy to the patio.
Cindy jumps up and down yelling out one of the Morco High’s cheers. “I can’t believe you went to all this trouble for me!” “Thank you Mom and Dad and Gr’ma!”
Gr’ma Ella rubs the family dog, Trace checks for food in Gr’ma Ella’s purse.
“Don’t you think Trace should visit the laundry room while the guests are here”, questions Ella as she looks to each one in the family?
“Only if she gets out of line,” replies June.
“Only if she barks,” replies Frank.
“Oh Gr’ma, she won’t be a nuisance,” encourages Cindy.
“Well, ok, then.” “Looks like you’re invited to the party too, Trace”, Gr’ma smiles. Ella urges Cindy to get hands out of the chips and dip and get ready for the guests.
Mr. and Mrs. Tanner wish Cindy a happy birthday with a hug and encourage her to dress party style for the guests.
“The gang should be arriving at eleven o’clock.” “The cookout is scheduled at twelve on the patio by the pool,” lets get snapping sounds June.
Frank and June prepare the grill for the cookout while Cindy walks past the family room, past the double entrance door and down the hall to her bedroom with the attached full bathroom. Trace is following on Cindy’s heels.
Gr’ma Ella joins Frank and June on the deck that leads down to the patio by the pool. Just beyond the party table is the backyard with nice large shade trees and an outbuilding. The grass is freshly mowed and deep green. The sky is blue and dotted by a few puffy white clouds and just the perfect weather for a birthday party. Ella rearranges the containers so that the buns are next to the grill. They plan to place the burgers and hot dogs in the buns and stack them in a separate container with a lid to get a steamed effect. The guests can just reach in and grab one, apply the chosen condiments at the table, along with the chips and dip, etc.
“This sounds like a plan for a great party”, Frank says.
Cindy showers and dresses for the party while talking to Trace her trusty companion.
“Trace, you can’t guess who’s coming to my party!” “Yup, Patsy the upper crust of the high society and known only to everyone at Morco High!”
Cindy talks aloud to Trace making comments about some of the guests and her hopes of remaining in their memory long enough for them to vote her in as cheerleader on Monday.
“Jack, the Monk of Morco High, will be here Trace” “You better not sneeze on him or you’ll wind up in the dog pound for sure,” Cindy rattled on as she tossed the clothes she had worn at Gr’ma’s into the bottom of the closet. “I’ll take these to the laundry room later, Trace.” “The guests may be arriving and I certainly don’t want to make an appearance with dirty clothes in my hands.”
“If I can get in Patsy’s good graces, maybe she’ll convince some of her friends to support me at tryouts.” “Do you think we can do it, Trace”, Cindy says getting into the shower. With the water running, Cindy is now talking loudly to Trace and the dog is roaming around looking for a chew toy.
“Susan the Journalist and Reporter for Morco High shall be arriving with Patsy.” “Making a good first impression on her is like walking in front of an X-ray machine with clothes on.” “She’s going to form her own opinion no matter what and she can see right through a phony character.” “What do I have to worry about, Trace,” Cindy thought? “I’m not a phony character.” “I’m a bit to anxious though.” Cindy dresses and Trace is still roaming and sniffing.
Cindy stands in front of the mirror looking at the colorful sun dress first the front then pivoting and inspecting the back then the front again. Turning her head, she imagines she is standing in front of the stands during a football game giving the yell that pushes the team to victory.
Trace, occupied with her own indulgences, finds something to gnaw on. She selects a piece of Cindy’s clothing in the bottom of the closet and dashes out the bedroom door just as the doorbell rings.
Frank walks quickly to the front door almost knocking over the flowers on the table in the foyer. The sound of Trace galloping through the hall gets no one’s attention. Opening the door, Frank smiles and says, “Come in, Tim. So glad you could make it.”
Stepping in the door with a small yellow box tied in pink, green, and blue ribbons, Tim raises up the gift and his other hand and laughs in surprise. “Trace," he exclaims! “Who invited you and what’s that present you have in your mouth?”
Cindy bounds down the hall after Trace but too late to grab the piece of clothing she is shaking. “She’s looking for someone to play tug of war with,” cries Cindy while turning three shades of red.
Frank calls for Ella and Tim heartily laughs with everyone else who is coming in through the front door now. Cindy decides she must join in the laughter or continue to look like a neon sign so she laughs just as loud.
Ella opens the hall closet and removes Trace’s leash from a hook and starts toward Trace now sitting and starring wide eyed with the bra dangling almost equal distant out of each side of her mouth.
Ella recollects her earlier conversation with the family and says, “Just as I thought, this dog needs some quiet time in the laundry room or Cindy’s party might as well be a free for all.”
“You’re probably right Ella,” replies Frank. “She’s probably just excited about all the people and decorations and doesn’t know what to expect.”
Cindy is greeting everyone now and talking nonstop to direct the conversation around the incident and it seems to be working. Everyone is in such a gleeful mood and asking Cindy about cheerleader tryouts next week. Cindy is exuberant and displays a smile that would be difficult to shatter.
June walks into the family room where everyone has gathered and suggests they sing the Happy Birthday song and move out to the patio area.
While the teens are enjoying the hamburgers and hot dogs, they discuss the latest gossip at Morco High. Who should the pick for cheerleader be on Monday? Cindy is concerned that she will become the feature story in the School’s Newsletter and not cheerleader if Tracy has anything to do with it. Cindy changes the subject when Susan takes her palm pilot out to take some notes about the party.
Trace is whining in the laundry room but everyone is outside. Pushing her nose hard against the door she steps back. The door pops open and a big grin spreads across the dog's face. Stepping high and looking in all directions, Trace carefully eases past the crowd and to the back of the yard to watch the party. Trace desires to avoid the laundry room at any cost. The smell of the grilled food is gnawing at Trace’s stomach and she squirms forward a couple of feet as she licks her lips and yawns.
Mr. and Mrs. Tanner bring the last tray of hot dogs and burgers to the table and announce, “The cake shall be served in five minutes!”
Gr’ma Ella removes the covering from the table and places candles onto the cake. She pulls the lighter out of her apron and ignites a starter wick which starts a chain reaction lighting every candle in turn until all sixteen are glowing brightly.
Everyone gathers around to watch Cindy make a birthday wish and attempt to blow out sixteen candles on the cake made to serve a party of 50. There will no doubt be enough for seconds for everyone. Somehow, the cake seems smaller that it did when the catering service brought it before the guests started arriving.
Trace musters up her courage and leaps to her feet stretching her head into the air to get better smell of the nearby table spread. Prancing over to Jack and wagging her tail only results in disappointment for Trace.
Jack pulls out a wipe looks into the dog’s eyes, “Get away! You’ll make me sick dog, get away!”
Trace responds by sneezing on Jack’s hand and half-empty plate.
Jack’s fear of contracting some horrible disease causes him to cower away from Trace.
Retreating to the rear of the yard by the storage shed, Trace seems to sense the necessity to lay low.
Patsy pretends to solace Jack and assures him, “You have more than a week to live if you see a Dr. by Monday, Jack”.
Patsy is enjoying herself. That seems out of character with her usual prim and proper attitude.
Susan greets and hands Patsy a plate of cake and chips with dip.
Susan and Patsy chit chat about the fun and munch on the tasty treats. Patsy dares Susan to print the fanfare of the “dog and bra” tale and the “Jack gets sneezed on and dies” under the Comedy section in the Morco High Newsletter. Susan and Patsy weigh the advantages of the Birthday Party Tales increasing Cindy's popularity at the cheerleader tryouts.
Cindy is dividing her time equally with everyone, working on her social graces and smiling at every opportunity. Tim only commented about the bra twice since Trace made her grand entrance. It was getting easier to mingle now that everyone just laughed about it.
Patsy sets her cake down on a patio table by her chair and Trace gulps it down in one bite. Patsy starts a chain reaction and exclaims, “Where did that dog come from?”
Everyone is chasing the dog. Bounding in zigzags and circles, it looks like follow the leader and Trace is the leader. Everyone is making wild grabs at Trace as she flies by the table with ears back and a wild look in her eye.
Cindy yells “Trace, stop!”
Trace takes a running leap, lands on the table inches from the cake, and plops her nose into the middle of it. Trace is lapping up cake as if someone planned to interrupt her at any minute.
Cindy puts her arm around Trace’s shoulder and attaches the leash to her collar, “You naughty, naughty girl! You take the cake Trace! You really take the cake!”
“This is the grandest party I’ve ever attended Cindy!” shouted Susan with her wand tapping wildly on her palm pilot. “Everyone at Morco High who was unable to attend will certainly enjoy the story about your party.”
“I just hope to live to tell my side of the story after that crazy dog sneezed all over me!” Jack exclaimed. “I used a whole pack of wipes in less than two hours.”
Everyone crowds around Trace as she lets out a loud belch and licks her lips. Cake frosting is dripping from her ears but her tail is wagging faster than windshield wiper blades.
“Cindy, don’t you think Trace deserves a good bath?” Gr’ma Tanner chimes in.
“Why Gr’ma, that’s the best idea yet!” Cindy replies while fetching the tub with Trace’s name on it and turning on the water hose.
Trace whined and covered her ears with her paws.
Cindy lifted Trace’s front paws into the tub and her back legs followed reluctantly. Everyone came by, gave Trace a scrub, and poured some water over her back. “I don’t know why she complains about a nice bath on such a sunny day. She is being pampered and don’t even know it.”
Patsy and Susan comment to each other about Cindy’s tryout being a cinch with her popularity soaring to new levels when the news hits the school on Monday.
“I didn’t even have a story before the party. Now, I’ll have one to be remembered for,” said Susan.
Mr. and Mrs. Tanner thank everyone for attending the party and give a party favor to each one as they leave.
Frank comments to June, “You know dear, everyone got a piece of Cindy’s cake before the dog landed in the middle of it. They were just lucky I guess.”
June replies, “You’re right dear, and Trace wasn’t the only one who took the cake! I saved some for the evening meal. It’s in the fridge.”
“I get the last piece," exclaims Cindy, "because I got the last laugh! I love you Trace!”
“Woof!” barked Trace shaking the last drop of water from the end of her tail. Everyone wipes water droplets off their arms and face.
“Thank all of you for your support today. I can face the embarrassment with a laugh with friends like you,” chided Cindy to the guests as they walked past the door.
Everyone was shouting, “Happy Birthday, Cindy!” and “Good luck in the cheerleader tryouts!”
The door closes and life returns to normal in the Tanner household.
“What’s normal?” wonders Trace.